Back together
by RTS
Summary: Possible beginning for ME4 ?
1. Chapter 1

It was exactly 30 years from the date when commander Shepard saved the Galaxy from the Reapers. The Citadel had been repaired, the best they could, and every year at that very day there was a great celebration at the Presidium. A huge statue of the commander stood in the middle of a great hall, the Council had their annual speech next to it. For some unknown reason to Egris, it was always vastly popular and overcrowded the free space in hand. She had to push quite strongly a way for herself through the masses. Finally she reached her destination, standing quietly next to a turian. She nudged his arm with her elbow.

"Lovely morning," she said.

"You're absolutely right," an old familiar voice agreed with her, "How-s the evening looking to be ?"

"Oh, quiet," she sighed , "Everybody's so busy with Victory-week, so I'm just gonna have a quiet evening at home, I have a full bottle of aquiin in my fridge," she smirked, "Might need some help with that."

"Oh, don't you worry," he replied in a smug tone and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "I'll figure something out."

* * *

It was in the middle of the night when the hall was empty and a lone c-sec guard passed by the Wall of Heroes and noticed a void made by a missing nameplate.

"Not again," he commented with mix of anger and despair in his voice.

* * *

In total silence he walked towards her sound stopping just at the door to her room. He found Egris infront of a screen, telling a story to four little turians. Quickly he covered his mouth with a finger, signaling the kids not to reveal his presence, they did started to fidget for a second but composed themselves fast.

This went unnoticed by Egris, "At first," she continued, "there was immense joy of victory - the Reapers were defeated, but the Relay stopped working and no matter how much anyone tried nobody succeeded in getting it back to order."

"What about the other Relays ?" a kid asked her.

"We really don't know, most probably their all like that, now - this is the secret I wanted to tell you - cuz there are a lot of depressed and angry people stuck in this side of the Relay, we had to do this kinda hus-hus..."

"Doctor T'Soni ?" another kid interrupted her.

"Yes - we found records of an ancient alien species from the Citadel's archives, they were called the Anhem, they actually liked the Reapers and wanted to become them."

"Were they bad ?" she got asked again.

"Not really, they lived as they saw it to be right and they actually helped us a lot without even knowing it. As I said - they lived about 2,5 million years ago, they were really advanced and, oh did they liked the Reapers, so much that they built a backup and safety system into the Relays, for incase something should happen to them, you following me, I'm not sure if I'll make it to the Victory Ball, I have a Galaxy to put back together !"

"No way, really, yeee..." the voices of amusements crowded her room from the other side of the screen.

"I have to finish now, don't tell your mom," she waved her finger to them and shut the screen.

"Happy birthday," he said and she startled with a jump around.

"I hate you," she said.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"Actually I don´t," she smiled next.

"I know," he handed her a small box.

"Thanks, " she opened the box and saw a sparkly hair clip in it, "Aww, it's so pretty," she took it out and pinned to hair, "How do I look ?"

"Perfect !"

"She blushed a bit, "Can you believe it, I made it, thirty, that is just awesome...and going," clenched her hand into a victorious fist.

In the next moment she turned to concern, "How long were you here ?"

"Is that for real ?" he asked her back, "Putting the Galaxy back together ?"

"That was the other thing I wanted to talk with you, actually I wanted to invite you to the archives tomorrow for a meeting with the rest of my team."

"You have a team ?" he smirked.

"It's a big Galaxy to put back together alone."

"Why me ?"

"Because we trust you, there's a little catch to it also, " she hesitated to say the following, "You have to become alive again."

"No !" he was resolute.

"Look, this is more important than your little quarrel with Victus...just come tomorrow, hear us out...to see Palaven, I think it's worth it."

"Palaven," he quoted and felt how his heart skipped a beat, "Who else knows about this meeting. ?"

"Just the people coming."

"Liara ?"

"She is the "head of our department"...so you'll come ?"

"I might need some more convincing, you were supposed to have a bottle of aquiin ?"

"Oh you know how to haggle, " Egris started to laugh, she knew this was as close of an agreement she could ever get out of him, "This is no ordinary aquiin, " she opened the fridge door, "this is five years older than me, brewed in Palaven, don't ask me how I got it," she pulled the bottle out.

* * *

He stepped nervously back and forth infront of the door Egris had told him to meet her. After a few seconds the door opened and he could hear her voice from a distant.

"Come in !" Egris shouted. He walked in the hallway with a bit of hesitation. At first he saw Egris in a peculiar outfit, holstering a gun. She pointed at him and turned to a krogan standing next by, "See, I told you."

"Garrus Vakarian," the Krogan shouted over the room, with the joy of recognition.

"Grunt ?!" he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Garrus, old friend," greeted an asari close by, "By the goddess."

"Liara," replied delight.

"Who said I can't teach new trick to an old bird, " Egris Smiled with contempt.


	2. Chapter 2

"Anyone care to elaborate ?" Garrus insisted and sat down on one of the chairs in the room. Egris was the only one to remain standing, she started; "In short, Ive been helping Liara decipher the data we've been able to extract from the Reapers, we discovered the Anhem, as I said, they lived around 2,5 million years ago. For them becoming a Reaper was a huge honor, they waited for them to arrive, holding the Relays sacred. Good for us, they constructed safeguards in to the Relays, they built the force fields around them. In the last year we uncovered this system, the Relays are actually fine, they are just masked to look broken to fool any attackers, all we have to do is go in there and restart the self-repair protocol."

"Really ?" Garrus turned towards his old friends, "Are you two really buying this ?"

"I must say," replied Liara, "I would be as skeptical as you are if I hadn't been there myself."

"I'm just here, cuz, SHE, "Grunt pointed to Egris, "promised there was supposed to be an open bar."

"What's with the secrecy, if there really is a chance that the Relays could be fixed..."

"Have you seen the news lately ?" Egris cut into his though, "I don't wanna say this the wrong way, but the people in charge are the ones from the war time, they are the ones who lost their homes, old and bitter," she gathered all her courage to say the following, "You three...you lost your homes and everyone who was left out there... I've only heard about these places - Thessia, Palaven, Tuchanka - but to you, these are real...as are to them and if a tangible option surfaces, everybody's gonna want to race to the Relay and be the first to go home...in this brooding political situation, the first ones making trough the Relay are the last ones left alive...the question is who has bigger guns..." she suddenly froze in the middle of a gesture.

"What Egris wants to say," Liara took the over the speech, she could see that Egris was about to brake, "is that, until we are sure that the Relays are back working, it is our job to keep the peace here...keep everyone alive to go home."

Egris looked really confused for a second, then she pointed to her legs, bent one knee forward and lifted a heel for a bit, "What do you think of the boots ?"

"They're nice," answered Garrus calmly, these kind of seizures were nothing new to them anymore.

"Yeah, I think so too, they are from last season, but I got a killer sale and, you know, maybe I can bring them back," Egris froze again for a second and came back to the moment, "Huh, sorry...that's the point where you have to join us, the living, again."


End file.
